It’s easy to fall in love with a big, high-profile stock like Apple (Nasdaq: AAPL) or General Electric (NYSE: GE). Odds are good that you use a product either one or both of the companies make, and the media’s constant coverage of them sure makes it easy to get comfortable… Read More

The financial press has gotten great mileage out of the hottest stock in the dining sector — Chipotle Mexican Grill (NYSE: CMG). And why not? It’s been a great growth story as sales shot up from $315 million in 2003 to roughly $1.83 billion in 2010. Yet some investors are… Read More

I doubt you’ve ever heard of Howard Silverblatt. Mr. Silverblatt is a senior analyst at Standard and Poor’s. He covers a lot of topics when it comes to his work at S&P, but what’s made him a hot commodity for reporters (and why I like to… Read More

It may be one of the fastest reversals of fortunes we’ve seen with an initial public offering (IPO) in quite some time.  Before its May 18 IPO, Facebook (Nasdaq: FB) was growing its user base like… Read More

If you’ve followed my past articles, then you already know I invest exclusively in the world’s greatest businesses — the kind that dominate their markets and go out of their way to reward their shareholders via dividends and share buybacks.#-ad_banner-# In fact, as you’ll see in a moment, one of… Read More

Stock market traders have seen a strong bull market push prices up by more than 20% since the start of the year. Grain markets have delivered even bigger gains, with soybeans up more than 45% and corn up about 33% in a little more than nine months. One of the worst droughts in history is behind the move in grain prices, but those markets appear to have topped and the news has turned more optimistic. As farmers started harvesting their crops, many seem to be… Read More

Stock market traders have seen a strong bull market push prices up by more than 20% since the start of the year. Grain markets have delivered even bigger gains, with soybeans up more than 45% and corn up about 33% in a little more than nine months. One of the worst droughts in history is behind the move in grain prices, but those markets appear to have topped and the news has turned more optimistic. As farmers started harvesting their crops, many seem to be surprised that the yield is better than expected. Reports also indicate that farmers are harvesting the crop quicker than usual, and that could lead to supply building up in the short term and driving prices lower. In addition to the fundamentals, there is a bearish technical picture building in corn. Commercials, the insiders of the futures markets, have been bearish while speculators have been buying while the price has formed a topping pattern. Read More

Maybe they should have named this giant retailer Amazing instead of Amazon.com (Nadaq: AMZN). The story is truly nothing less.  From its 1997 IPO price near $1.50 (adjusting for stock splits), shares gained more… Read More

The sole purpose of the Federal’s Reserve’s recent moves and commentary is to inspire the economy‘s “animal spirits.” The most recent action, known as QE3, or the third round of quantitative easing, is simply an effort to provide a spark where none… Read More

In recent years, many Asian economies have been booming while European and North American ones struggle. But the tables may soon turn, according to data from the Asian Development Bank.  In its July 2012 Asian Development Outlook Supplement, the financial and policy institution forecasts 6.6% GDP growth in the region, down from 7.2% in 2011. The forecast also represents a downward revision from the ADB’s initial 2012 GDP growth estimates of 6.9% in July for the 44 Asian countries that belong to the bank. #-ad_banner-#The translation is that things seem to be… Read More

In recent years, many Asian economies have been booming while European and North American ones struggle. But the tables may soon turn, according to data from the Asian Development Bank.  In its July 2012 Asian Development Outlook Supplement, the financial and policy institution forecasts 6.6% GDP growth in the region, down from 7.2% in 2011. The forecast also represents a downward revision from the ADB’s initial 2012 GDP growth estimates of 6.9% in July for the 44 Asian countries that belong to the bank. #-ad_banner-#The translation is that things seem to be slowing down in Asia. But why? The answer is lower demand for Asia’s exports and unwinding policy stimulus programs in the region. In short, consumers have less money to spend in Asia. Many investors might take this as a cue to move toward stocks that rely on U.S. consumers for growth, but be careful: many All-American stocks actually rely on revenue from Asian consumers, though you wouldn’t really know it. Here are a few: 1. J.M. Smucker Company (NYSE: SJM) This classic American food brand is more than just jelly on your toast; Smucker also owns many food brands… Read More